Beet juice used to deice roads

AKRON, Ohio, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- Road crews in Akron will use beet juice to remove ice and snow from the Ohio city's roadways this winter.

Akron Public Works Bureau Manager Paul Barnett said once the sugar is removed from the beets, the juice is mixed with calcium chloride and rock salt to create a very efficient deicer product, WEWS-TV in Cleveland reported Wednesday.

"The beets also allow the salt and the calcium chloride to stick to the road better and last longer, allowing us to save money with fewer application over the course of winter," Barnett said.

Barnett has ordered 4,000 gallons of the mixture.

Last year alone, Akron officials spent nearly $4 million on snow and ice removal.

Barnett told WEWS-TV the mixture smells slightly like brewer's yeast when placed on roads and appears brown rather than red, the color most commonly associated with beets.